Injured hen in free-range egg farm

Located approximately 20 minutes from central Geelong in the town of Lethbridge, Victoria is a small free-range egg farm owned by Peter Robert King and Cheryl Wendy King.

When investigators visited in June 2025, they discovered hens being housed in a long shed with a raised platform with nesting boxes in the center and A-frame perches along the perimeter of the shed. They documented the filth and feces that was caked on the metal grates which made up the platform.

One hen was struggling to stand, and was breathing heavily. Several others had already died. Their bodies were being pecked at, deficated on and stepped on by other chickens.

When consumers think of free-range eggs, the image of hens in filthy sheds is often not what comes to mind.

No matter the label, there is no such thing as an ethical egg.